Parent Questions School Book Fair Items

To The Editor:

Recently, my 7-year-old son was excitedly looking forward to the book fair at school. He is just starting to read, and my wife and I want to keep encouraging that.

Weren’t we surprised when he came home with two books that were not books at all, but 141- page advertisements for LEGO toys, with LEGO toys inside! Let me quote you a passage from one of these fine pieces of children’s literature: “The Durmstran Ship (set 4768) comes with a full complement of nautical equipment. This includes a sailing map, which is also found in another 23 sea based LEGO sets.” There is no story for kids to read, just descriptions and statistics about the toys they could have! Does crass commercialism have to be in every facet of kids’ lives from the age of 4?

I propose that books sold at a school book fair should be approved by the school librarian.